Who Do You Think Is Missing That Should Be There?

I've visited twice now. It really should be called the roots of rock music hall of fame because rock and roll is really the least represented genre there. Don't get me wrong, it's a neat place to visit but it could be so much more. There are so many artists missing that should be represented and aren't.

The opinions of the fans who buy albums and tickets to concerts should matter more than a panel of critics. Otherwise it's really just a members only club where someone sits on a high horse and decides. I can't stand U2 but would never say they don't belong. Their influence is undeniable. In the hard rock/metal genre KISS's influence is also undeniable. I could rattle off a very long list of bands that list KISS as their reason for ever picking up instruments. There are literally millions of fans world wide that would also agree that they are hugely influential. But really my whole point is that career longevity should really count for something. If a band continues to sell albums and tickets, they are relevant. It doesn't matter whether I like or dislike any band. The fans should have a say. Currently they do not.

Iggy Pop is probably one who is overlooked too. I'm not really up on his music but he's been around forever.<br /><br />DEVO was the first American band that was high profile that I remember bringing that European keyboard heavy influence to their sound. You are a little younger than me so you probably don't know that one of their first hits was a re-working of the Stones "Satisfaction" At the time they were really, really different. So much so that Dan Akroyd actually later said he was sorry that he delayed their career by originally passing them over for SNL. A year later they already had some radio hits and he asked them to perform. They also had a hit with a song called "working in a coal mine".<br />The first time I saw them I thought they were insane but couldn't stop watching.<br /><br />Ultimately I believe that in rock and roll the performance is as integral as the music. Elvis shook his hips, Jimi Hendrix set his guitar on fire and played with his teeth.......<br />DEVO had an act that was very different than anyone else. So did KISS.....<br /><br />The big stage shows we see today are built on the foundations created by artists like these that pushed the limits and put themselves out there. The argument against KISS has always been that the stage show is all that matters.... They've sold 40 million albums in the US alone. People don't buy albums of music they don't like. That is what should be the biggest criteria in the induction process. If you are selling albums and selling out shows, you are influential and relevant. If you have done that for years, you deserve to be recognized.

Perhaps.<br />The Beastie boys are in there.......Remember all their great songs besides the only one you ever hear on the radio?<br />Me neither - lol<br /><br />I was thinking more about the impact Devo had when they came on the scene. They were huge if only for a while.

Well, everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I do know mine is a very common one.<br />Who's missing?<br />You can start with KISS who defined for an entire generation of musicians what excitement could be and paved the way for virtually every modern stage show today. There probably isn't another band besides Zeppelin where actual musicians credit them with giving them the spark to play. Then there's Rush. A band that has for years defined what progressive hard rock can be. For shear musicianship, no one can touch them.<br />Where is Duran Duran......Cheap Trick.....Deep Purple.......Bon Jovi....Randy Rhodes who set the bar to infinity for hard rock guitar pla<x>yers....Stevie Ray Vaughn.......The Cars....absolutely huge in the early 80's They set the bar for new wave........Devo........How about The Eurythmics?......How about Heart? How the hell is Stevie Nicks in and Heart not??? How about Black Flag? Influenced as many as the Ramones. Motley Crue......still relevant today and still selling out stadiums. How about Yes?........How a basically one hit wonder like the Beastie Boys made it in ahead of some of these artists shows how ridiculous the induction process is. The hall of fame is a mirror for Rolling Stone magazine and nothing more. They have always insisted on what is relevant and what is not. They are just a bunch of aging hippies out of touch with what the public want to see. There is a major war brewing over the fact that one member of the board said that KISS would never get in as long as they were around. How stupid! KISS has more gold records than any other American band. What's relevant is what people are willing to plunk down money for. Where is Iron Maiden for Pete's sake? They have been selling out stadiums for 30 years.<br /><br />The hall of fame is interesting, but could be so much more. For me, the best part was the Beatles exhibit and the Elvis and Hendrix stuff and of course.....Johnny Cash's tour bus.